If we’re to believe cast member Boogie Malin’s comments on the 24/7 live feeds, Hantz began slamming doors, pelting Janelle Pierzina with pork rinds as he called her a cunt and repeatedly head-butted fellow contestant Chef Joe Arvin (!). Word is Hantz had to be physically escorted from the Big Brother house and permanently removed from the game. Awesome.

I’m also excited about tonight because it brings the first episode of “The Newsroom” I didn’t get to see five or six weeks ago. It’s been a long wait to see how Will McAvoy and Jim Harper react to the traps they were lured into.

I adored the selflessness and grace evinced by Mary Louise Parker’s Nancy Botwin – as well as the work of “Parenthood” icon Mae Whitman -- in last week’s “Weeds” (though the shoebox tower of those poor dead bunnies really kind of tore my heart out). This final season is already a lot more fun than the Manhattan one we got last year.

Is Black Dynamite meant to be Adult Swim's replacement for The Boondocks? If so, I'm okay with that, after seeing the first episode last week. It managed to skewer black pop culture/history in such a way that Michael Jai White's movie of the same namesake never could. I was laughing my ass off by the finale of the episode.

Your reviews of the show are great. You drop little hints but you've not ruined an episode because of that. I hope you give it its own thread. I enjoyed last weeks as well as when you did it for season 4.

True Blood - Besides Season 2, this has been my favorite season. Russell rules!
Newsroom - The show was much better last week. Daniels steals the show every week. Here are my only gripes with Newsroom:
1) Show only deals with problems within the Republican party. Much of what Daniels' character says about the tea party is true. The show will not touch the ultra liberal wing of the Democratic party. It's the one critical flaw of the show that no one other than me will ever give a damn about.
2) Sorkin writes obscure references that are then used cleverly later in the show either through props or dialogue. The e-mail incident, the bigfoot conversation, etc. Does a whole news team come in on Saturday to hear a presentation about bigfoot, which also coincides with the shooting in Arizona. Come on.
3) I can't wait to see in Season 3 how they get the entire team into the office at the time of the Colorado theater shooting. No wait. Got it. They will all be out at the bar they visit. Problem solved there.
Some of this is nitpicking, but if the show wants to reach the heights of say the Sopranos or The Wire, it needs to be addressed. I wouldn't mention all of this if I didn't think the show had the potential to be a great show.

Oh - Daniels' little lecture about guns when he cleverly popped the gun out of the lady's hand into his is deceptive and dangerous. The ability to use a gun to protect yourself depends on timing and the situation. If someone is trying to break into your home or abduct someone that is near you, a gun would be a great thing to have. If someone is trying to assault you and they are within three feet of you, it is going to be much harder to use the gun effectively. If it were me, I would rather have the gun secreted somewhere where the bad guy doesn't know it's located. I can then make the decision regarding when I want to introduce it into the fight. Of course, don't carry it unless you are trained to carry and use it. Don't let a show on HBO influence your decision on carrying a firearm.

We learn that the Republican congress is completely responsible for everything bad including the weather.
We discover that President Obama does not exist, has no power, and is not reponsible for anything bad that happens.
We find the media elite has the right to tell us what they want to tell us and withhold ugly little incidents like Fast and Furious, Solyndra, and Van Jones.

To Sorkin's credit, he realizes he cannot write a realistic Republican character and makes fun of himself for it. He did it in Studio 60 where he made every Republican straight out of Andy from Mayberry and had John Goodman's character joke that all elitist liberal Democrats think all Republicans are country bumpkins. He did it last week with "But I am a registered Republican" lines whenever they labeled McAvoy a liberal in the newspaper.
Again, it isn't so much a political issue as a credibility of the characters. Here you have a Republican for gun control (not an issue most Republicans are for, but let's go with it) and he points out that Obama got straight Fs from the Brady Center on his stance on gun control. But instead of going after Obama for that, he goes after right wing talking heads and politicians who claim Obama wants to take away their guns.
Yes, I know a lot of Republican hate the far right and Tea Party, but they usually also hate Democrats. I would think a true Republican, especially a Republican so passionate about gun control, would have taken Obama to task about his poor history on gun control rather than a bunch of talking heads and political wonks lying about his record on gun control. Which is the bigger issue anyway? A President who appears to be kowtowing to the gun lobby or talking heads lying about it trying to claim he is trying to repeal the Second Amendment?
This is where the show loses all credibility in my eyes. Sorkin made McAvoy a Republican IMHO to appear balanced in his message and add more weight to his opinion because a rational Republican believes his beliefs are true. Except having Jeff Daniels say he is a registered Republican every episode is not a credible way to make his character a Republican.
Again, the show would be much better if they just made McAvoy what he really is - a Progressive Democrat (his character is obviously a characterization of Keith Olbermann who was a consultant for the show). It would just make the show more credible and especially McAvoy's character.

I agree with the Bigfoot presentation thing. In real life, you probably couldn't get most people to come in on Saturday for a relevant presentation unless it was mandatory, but for Bigfoot?
Unfortunately or Sorkin, he needed to create an excuse of why the entire newsroom would be in the office on a Saturday because this event happened on a Saturday in real life. He decided to go the comedic route than the realistic route. Unfortunately, it wasn't as funny as he probably hoped.

Perkaps if the hate that you think Republicans must have towards Democrats was merely a disagreement without al the negative ewmotion, we might have a more productive country- so please stop with the negative stereotyping to fit your world view- this is a TV show with an obvious agenda, an agenda that is realized with artistic merit instead of negative bombastic punditry

I make this point week after week because every week my point gets stronger. I know there are many different types of Republicans but name me one who goes against his beliefs to defend a Democrat vs a Republican on the air. McAvoy is strongly against gun control and points out Obama has a horrible record against gun control to defend him against the Right. Name Republican in the media or government who does that.
You defend Sorkin because you love his shows, but McAvoy's character is totally unbelievable when points out that Obama has a horrible record on an issue that he really is passionate about and not only not take him to task on this, but also use this fact as a defense for him against the Right. It just isn't logical and there is no real Republican who would do something like that. They might still bash the Right, but they would take on Obama too.
Besides, this type of hypocrisy goes against what is supposed to be the premise of the show within the show. McAvoy is supposed to be not doing what other shows do like going against his core values to attack one party over the other.

Sorkin is doing the exact opposite as you say. He is being just as decisive as the pundants that he claims to disdain. He just wraps it up in a drama. I have no problems with it, but don't pretend this show is something it isn't. The message of this show is that the Right are dumb and evil liars who are trying to buy this country and brainwash the stupid. I knew that would be general theme when I started to watch it. If I had a problem with that, I would have never watched.
My problem is that McAvoy who hates everything the current Republican party stands for and embraces most of the Progressive's issues is an easy crutch and takes me out of the show. If Sorkin believes so much in his values, he wouldn't need a character from the Republican party to embrace them to show the audience that his views are right

Hey Amigo. Hope you are doing well and feeling better. Thanks for your kind words regarding my father. I am sorry for the loss of your sister. My father was basically executed. A jilted ex-girlfriend slipped some GHB into his drink. Why he was even around her I will never know. Any way, she took him to an abandoned house out in the middle of no where and took him inside. She shot him in the back of the head. He fell to the ground and she shot him in the front of the head. Both shots were contact gunhot wounds. His body wasn't found for almost a month. It was the most difficult and trying time of my life. Nothing can ever prepare a person for something like that. Take care friend.
P.S. I don't know if you ever saw my post, but I took no offense to your comments last week.

yeah I'm watching it. Its pretty good, nce to see Vancouver actually being Vancouver on TV for a change, and not pretending to be New York or somewhere. The cast are strong, the story interesting and Rachel Nichols is smokin hot. In terms of TV sci-fi its bettter than Fringe was last year

But I won't again.
My wife, a former reporter for Great Metropolitan Newspaper, finds it absurdly ridiculous.
Then again, my sister in law is a doctor and she can't watch medical shows. Same reason.
Maybe it's an inside baseball thing, but my wife insists there is nothing realistic in Newsroom.

My final shot about how the media elite can tell us what they want to, is a paraphrase of a line Sorkin and Company actuall wrote and put in the mouth of Sam Waterson when he was talking to Jane Fonda.
Admittedly the line went by pretty fast. My wife insists Sam and Jane realized how absurd the line was and hurried through it.
Just FYI

Cmon, that's a weak argument. If you are a Republican who disagrees with everything the Republican Party stands for like McAvoy, you either become an Indendent, Libertarian, Democrat, or some other party affiluation. Why would you be part of a political party that disagrees with all your beliefs.
Besides saying over and over again that he is a Republican and once with immigration laws, when has he expressed a belief that is remotely a Republican belief? Over the last two episodes, he has taken the liberal view on almost every issue. Wouldn't he take a Republican like view more than once in four episodes.

rob0729 - he doesn't disagree with all their beliefs- call it strawman, or hypebole, but your argurment hinges on a fallacy of observation, or just exaggerating to make your point- sorry...
and his character may be in a stqate of flux- some disgruntled people do change their party affiliation
What Sorkin is doing is rather brilliant, and your effort to reduce it to something it isn't makes your criticisms muted at best
I do understand why you sy what you say, and that is part od Sorkin's intent- it is sparking discourse, healthy discourse- and he is also trying to sway minds of other disgruntled folk
I like his efforts that go beyond just essaying standard dramatics and into sparking people to question, or abandon their beliefs with information that that may be unfamiliar with - getting both sides of a poitical coin is healthy, and Newsroom is trying to do that

Firing the entire staff of a show that got renewed is military grade villainy. Shows get renewed and people make decisions—get engaged, have children, etc —because it's so rare to be part of something successful out here. To be fired, en masse, is a petulant act that added IMMENSE amounts of stress to dozens of lives because he's a whiny bitch, upset he's not getting his customary chub-huffing from the press on that show.

Seriously, you didn't find it poor writing that ten minutes after chastising and dumping a date for having a gun and being Anti gun control that he would defend Obama against the Republicans he argued Obama is a gun lobbyist's wet dream?
Sorry, but I said before the first episode that there are only three kinds of Republicans in Sorkin's universe. The faux Republican who is a liberal in Republican's clothes, the conservative who starts the episode with a conservative view and buys into the liberal view at the end of the episode, and the nut job or stereotypical Republican. That is about all we gave seen.
I disagree Sorkin has been brilliant in the way you say. We are not debating the issues of the show at all. The show is entertaining, but I don't think it is promoting discourse because the arguments on the show are on sided. He does not give the other side a rational voice.
I do like the show despite its flaws. I have even agreed with a lot of the stances he takes. As a person who believes in gun control, I thought it was embarrassing that he would an episode with a pro gun control theme and gloss over the fact that Obama got straight Fs from the Brady Center to take on the far Right for saying Obama wants to take their guns. Even Progressives like Olbermann and Maddow would have taken on Obama for that even if they took on the Right for spreading lies.

You are seeing more blight on the trees than I am, and I am seeing more of the majesty of the entire forest.
In any case, I hope tonight's episode is a good one and that you enjoy it.
I don't look for flaws, but if they are big ones, I don't ignore them either.
Half empty, or half full kind of thing, I guess.
You put the show in a tighter box than I do with some of your assumptions about Republicans, but if that is how you see it, you are entitled to that viewing process.
I do it with some other shows, but this one captivates me in other ways that are not typical of TV storytelling style.

I only bring real world politics into the show as it relates to the reality of the show. With Studio 60, I argued how he made a show about incredibly funny people who produce an incredibly funny show where no one was particularly funny nor were any of the sketches even watchable. But Studio 60 was not a good show. At least The Newsroom has some promise.
There are much of Sorkin that I love and loathe and unfortunately this show still has the stuff I loathe.
But the show is a political show. Discussing the politics of it is part of the show.

but we (actually you and all the other people) should suspend your disbelief
you're not gonna watch avengers and complain about how its unrealistic, are you?
its all fiction, just shut off your brain (or at least the logical part of it) and enjoy wills assholiness

What I don't get about the criticism is people taking issue with Sorkin putting his opinion in there in the words of his characters. So what? You think no other writers allow their politics to influence their work? It's not like he's telling you what to think. The message of show (to me at least) seems to be that most people don't fit into this us-versus-them right/left polarisation and that the most important thing is that there is a debate. And despite its flaws, the show certainly sparks debate.
And yeah I really agree about the sketches on Studio 60. Sometimes I did find them funny, but I never for one moment bought that so many people would.
I gotta say though Newsroom really is my favourite show airing now. I love that when you sit down to watch a Sorkin show you know you'll laugh, be entertained, engaged and possibly infuriated. Not too many showrunners are able to do that

The Avengers is about a chemically enhanced super soldier who was frozen for 50 years, a Norse God, a billionaire in a super powerful combat suit, and a giant green mutant taking on another Norse God and aliens in NYC. A little different than a series set in the real world addressing real world issues like the AZ immigration laws, the Tea party and its affect on the 2010 election, and the assassination attempt on Gabrielle Gilford.
Sorkin has this show set in the real world and addresses real issues so he has a responsibilty to be as real as possible.

I only noticed you havin your usual political discussions (but its on a Sunday tb and i don't see jay around)
I'm probably on your side when u do debate politics on here, but I rather see discussions about the show and characters instead of how factual it could be.
u may just respond to those who I am really directing my frustration at (so u can ignore my thougjts) but its just tiring seein these topics come up every week

have you spoken to every american? are they all one dimensional when it comes to politics. is it possible for a republican to believe in gay marriage? a democrat who wants creationalism to be taught in schools?

How isn't he real? I have spoken multiple times how he isn't real. Is it posible to be a Republican for gun control and be more upset that the Right is telling America that Obama is trying to take away their guns than the fact that according to the Brady Group Obama is in the gun lobby's back pocket?
But I am not saying it is black and white. The Log Cabin Republicans are against a lot of the Republican Party's stance on gay issues, but fall in line lock stock and barrel on a lot of other issues.
I will ask you since mcgootoo hasn't answered me. Name the instances where McAvoy has taken a Republican stance on any issue other than undocumented workers taking U.S. citizen's jobs. And I am not even looking for the Neocon Republican position. I would be happy with old school Republican position before the party was taken over by the Right.
To say you are a Republican, you actually need to have at least some Republican values. Saying you are a Republican and take a liberal stance on every issue is not a Republican.

I didn't even address the stupid unreal things like everyone coming in on their day off for a Bigfoot presentation and when they find out the subject not being upset that they wasted their Saturday on bullshit. But that was only a minor annoyance.
My problem when your main character doesn't ring true to his description. I can get over those minor reality lapses to set up a story.

But that wasn't the focus of the piece. It was stories they didn't give proper attention in 2010 as chosen by his staff. One of the stories was the fact that the Republicans said Obama was trying to repeal the Second Amendment. The thing is that Obama getting a failing grade by the Brady Group also happened in 2010 and actually fits in better in the theme of last week's show that Sorkin was trying to get across.

I don't know, because I am not keeping count, and I don't care. See- different points of view.
You see the character one way, in s tight box, I see the character evolving, OBVIOUSLY, from the person he was before his ex-girlfriend and new EP came back into his life as a game changer.
See.... don't you remember what kind of person he had become she held up her little sign in the first episode???????????????????????

Hope your all well and happy, sorry to hear about your loses mcgoo and mrlongbaugh, I lost my Father to cancer when I was 23, not as tragic as both of your situations, but sad none the less. My religious beliefs helped me to get through it all, I hope that you all had something or someone that helped you both.

Yes, I keep the character ibn a tight box in that I am looking for any evidence that he is a Republican other than him saying that he is a registered Republican. I am holding him to the impossible standard of taking the Republican side of an issue at least once and sticking to his guns without wavering by the end of the episode. Considering most Republicans are Progressive Liberals, I know it is an impossible standard to expect a Republican character on TV to take one Republican position and actually stick to it.
I remember the signs. The country isn't the greatest, but it could be. Of course any registered Republican would take that to mean he has to attack the Republicans endlessly and convince everyone to take the liberal point of view on everything. What Republican wouldn't? I don't listen to Rush Limbaugh because I can stand him saying that gays should be able to marry and they should end the Bush tax cuts. It gets a little tiring.

If the point is that McAvoy is evolving into a liberal from a Republican, they should have made him take the Republican view and evolve into it rather than transform him overnight. Still a cop out in my eyes, but at least it would be believable. Someone isn't going to change all their values in one day because they had a meltdown on stage.

But, to each their own. Your argument will never waver, no matter what direction the show takes, and my high appreciation of it will continue as long as the show continues to ecel at stroytelling as it has the last few weeks.
Peace.
Have fun looking for problems with the show, instead of just kicking back and taking it all in without your little buttons being pushed, way too hard.

I respond to condescension with sarcasm. I at least respected your elitist, closed minded point of view. Sorkin is a god. He can do nothing wrong.
You only response for evidence that McAvoy is a Republican is that 'Sorkin is a genius" or "I don't keep count".
I've got news for you when the show turns to support my position, I don't need to change my position. Heck even Sorkin wrote in the script that the media thinks McAvoy turned liberal. Yet my position holds no weight even though in the script people are calling McAvoy a liberal.

does he like being rich count?
if will did have a real republican stance, this show would be horrible. imo, republicans are selfish (regards to money, oppurtunity for other races, american dominance over the world, jesus bein top deity, etc). nothing could make me like will if he was a "real" republican. if I wanted a real republican, I would just watch fox news
ps: even tho I have nothin but negative thoughts about republicans, I understand why they are selfish. if my country/wealth/race is in jeapardy ill do my best to make sure it don't happen to me either

Seriously?!? All Republicans are selfish, rich, Jesus-loving, racists? Really?!?
I have a lot of friends who are Republicans who are generous, non-rich people who believe in evolution and that all minorities should be treated as equals. Many of them have left the Republican party, but many haven't.
And I am closed minded?
This is one of the reasons why I will never be part of either party. People have been brainwashed to believe the other side are all evil stupid people.

realistically, no one is gonna show up sat for a meeting...unless if ya know, ya have a job u love that pays well.
to me, the most unrealistic thing on this show is that no one is mentioining how jim is like jim from the office. surely someone in that office watches the Office and would comment on it
ps: that my only pet peeve

Yup- the show's script acknowledges his character is EVOLVING
And some in the media, on ths show, wondering if he has turned liberal, which suggests, and I do hope you see this, that the character that he WAS, before episode one aired, expressed himself in much more conservative, perhaps lazy, boilerplate conservative terms, as the show has suggested.
Otherwise, as you acknowledge, his new behavior has the media pondering *Has he TURNED liberal?*.
If you didn't focus so intently on not liking one aspect of the show, you might notice how and why that aspect that you seem to be fixated on makes story sense. Because his behavior hasn't happened in the real world, that does not mean it can't really happen.
But if it did, I'm sure he would be cancelled, right quick, in the real world.
And how was I condescending toward you?
Sorkin is no god to me who is above criticism, but I do have much respect for his work.
And I'll take you calling me elitist as a compliment.
Thank you, sir!

Bores the shit out of me. I wish Herc gave Newsroom its own talkback so I wouldn't have to skim through all that shit.
Pensy I love Continuum and think Rachael has done a nice job with the role. I disagree that the last few episodes have been mediocre. Also True Blood has been very good this season, much better then the last 2 years. And that Tara, what a nice bod on that chick. Tonights show should show plenty of it. I like her better as a vampire.

Definitely didn't suffer because of Mrs Nicholls, it suffers from mostly terrible bad guys for the most part. The show was good for a long time but they seem to be running out of ideas for the villains.

They may represent much of the Republican leadership, but not every Republcian. Contrary to popular belief, not all of the Republican public are Scrooge McDuck or Billy Bob. That is just the liberal side of the media generalizing them.
The conservative side of the media characterize Democrats as socialists who want end capitalism and destroy our civilization to save the environment.
That is the problem with the media today. They have turned everyone into simple labels to turn everyone against each other. The fact is that most Democrats and Republicans are just good people who have different point of views.
The Newsroom was supposed to break that trend, but Sorkin is pretty much preaching to the choir in that all Republicans are evil or dumb or both unless they accept the liberal point of view. That might change, but that has been the theme of the last three episodes.

You mentioned on a previous topic that you had seen a UFO when you were younger. What did it look like and what was your experience? I had something happen back in the 70's that I can't explain, so I'm really curious.

First, McAvoy went from political neutral to liberal in the media's eyes. McAvoy was the Jay Leno of news talk. That was the point. From the first scene they stated McAvoy never took a stance on any issue until MacKenzie came back. Also, he was called "Liberal commentator" which means it was more than they were wondering.
Second, if McAvoy is evolving to a more liberal point of view, it again supports my point. I have said all along that one of Sorkin's boilerplate Republicans is a conservative who accepts the liberal point of view is actually the right point of view. So my point still stands.

Even though the Right has taken over the agenda of the Republican party. There are still some of moderate Republicans in Congress (mostly in the House). Many Republicans in Congress are farther left than the Blue Dog Democrats. Sorry, but I think you are wrong.
I agree with you that both parties as they run themselves in Congress might fit into those stereotypes, but that does not represent either party as a whole. I know plenty of Democrats who have plenty of balls (Andrew Cuomo comes to mind) and Republicans who aren't racist or greedy (Olympia Snow comes to mind).

I am sorry if I think that a Republican would actually have at least one Republican view point.
I guess I should just take your closed minded bigoted point of view and label Republicans are evil greedy, Bible thumping racists and Democrats are dickless wimps.

A friend was driving me home. Lokking out througth the windshield, my frind Dan says- *What is that*, point to a solid white light in the sky.
WE both jumped out of the car and walked in the ligth's direction. It was faily large, and it wasn't moving, so I thought it might just be a planet that looked close, but it was too colse and too large to just be a planet
But, after a few minures of staring at it intently it then started moving VERY slowly across the sky, from left to right.
We tracked it, it went behind a cloud, we lost sight of it for a few moments, but when we saw it again, the SOLID WHITE LIGHT was now a PULSING GREEN LIGHT. After a few more seconds of slowly moving, it started moving

it started moving VERY RAPIDLY ACROSS THE SKY.
wE BOTH JUMPED BACK IN THE CAR AND TRIED TO CHASE IT FOR AS LONG AS WE COULD KEEP SIGHT OF IT, UNTIL IT ZOMED OUT OF SIGHT!!!!!
i DO NOT KNOW WHAT IT WAS, BUT IT WAS SURE ODD. aND IT WAS REPOTRTED THE NEXT DAY ON THE NOONTIME NEWS SHOW ON TV AS BEING SIGHTED IN NJ ABOUT ONE HALF HOUR BEFORE WE SAW IT!!!!
I LIVE IN PA.

Of course, don't carry it unless you are trained to carry and use it. Don't let a show on HBO influence your decision on carrying a firearm.
I am confused. Were you just angry and frustrated that I was criticizing the content of the show or did you have a problem with my above advice?

I know you weren't talking to me, but I will answer.
Personally, I don't have a problem with a trained person carrying a handgun. I would prefer it being limited to people who have professions that require it, but I don't think the 2nd Amendment should be limited that much. But the episode does have some valid points about gun control.
I personally have more of problem with anyone being able to walk into a Bass Pro Shop getting a semiautomatic rifle than people owning handguns as long as they are trained and licensed. What happened Thursday night should never had happened in my eyes.
I personally don't think our founding fathers had semis in mind when they wrote the second amendment. But back then, a semiautomatic rifle was a musket you could pack the next shot in thirty seconds or less.
My father is a gun owner and shoots regularly, but I refuse to ever go with him. So I see both points of views, but I do come down on the gun control side more.

rob0729 - I never meant to imply that YOU were closed minded- just that thought seemed to be getting in the way of real appreciation for the show- sorry for any misunderstanding- I meant no condecension
Try to let go of that thought tonight..
I enjoy our discussons on Newsroom, BTW.

Hey guys. Thank you all for your kind words. Jay, I think I might wait another week or so before I go. Does that sound good to you?
Pa- I am sorry you lost your father at such an early age. I was blessed to have mine for 31 years. And it doesn't matter how they passed away, the pain is still there. Unfortunately, I am an only child and all of the burden was on my shoulders. Everything that went on with the police and the prosecutors made my blood boil. There were 6 things she should have been charged with that they never charged her with. I am actually surprised she was convicted. I hate to say this, but if she hadn't been, I would have taken justice into my own hands. Terrible thing to say, even think about, but it was honestly the course I was going to take. I went through some severe depression and found other ways to dull the pain. Not proud of that, but it is the truth.
McGoo- That is a terrible thing that happened to your sister. I (as a former Armorer in the Marines) have several weapons. I have been trained in the use of deadly force and can only hope that something like that would never hapen to me. I know the gun control thing is a hot topic right after the last week. I own weapons like the cowardly idiot owned, but you can rest assured that I would never hurt anyone. You have to toss out the incident regarding my father's murder because that is kind of an unusual situation. I took an oath to protect this country, and I still live by it today. If I see another person in need of help, I am Johnny on the spot. I don't tolerate or condone crime of any kind. Especially when innocent people are put in harm's way.
Amigos, I can't begin to express how thankful I am for all of your friendships. I wish all of you nothing but the very best. Peace and God bless you ALL.

Just going by my personal observations of Tea Party types that I know, liberals really need to put away the condescending "Tea Partiers Are Dumb Hicks And Have No Teeth And hate Black People" meme. First, it's more of a suburban origination than a rural/small town origin. Friends I have known--smart, college educated, middle class-once the leave the city and settle in about 20-30 miles from the city center, I have noticed a tendency for them to have some sort of odd pride as if they claimed a piece of land while on the Oregon trail. And once they have settled in, have tendencies of not wanting to participate or care about anything beyond their suburban limits.--basically your normal yuppie scum rather than the redneck stereotype. Then, as a friend who once would dismiss some tripe by uber-hack Dinesh D'Souza now sends me links by him on Facebook every week.
<p>
Second, while race does play a part in Tea Party makeup, it comes from a place of life experience rather than some belief of racial superiority. I grew up in a multi-ethnic working/middle area, and once the low income apartments and bus lines came in, the area went down quick. When you get car jacked at Little Ceasers like a neighbor of mine did, socioeconomic issues don't come to mind, it's "I never want to see a black face again as long as I live." Perhaps, unfair, and something I don't subscribe to, but I certainly understand it.
<p>
In short, it helps to know your enemy rather what you think your enemy is already comprised of. Sorkin would help himself by youtubing some past Elizabeth Warren seminars about middle class fears.

....i was pointing out how Herc the fucking Hack mentioned (in a unrelated tb) how Maddow tied BOR in a demo one random night at the end of his post. it had nothing to do with the actual tb and it was just another progressive trolling attempt by Herc. much like his numerous stupid trolling posts about when Letterman barely beats Leno. he makes a big fucking deal about Letterman barley beating Leno for ONE night yet doesnt report on Leno beating Letterman EVERY night. its the same with the Maddow/BOR trolling comment. if he goes out of his way to post about Maddow TYING BOR, why doesnt he comment on how much she get creamed in total viewers? well, its obvious, it wouldnt fit his biased narrative. PLUS(!!!) they arent even in direct competition, shes on at 9 and hes on at 8. apples to oranges and he fucking knows that. i was just calling him out (and will continue) and asking WHY(!!!! sarcasm) no updates on Maddows numbers. i mean, he posts about how BOR gets beat by cartoon (SpongeBob) yet GOES OUT OF HIS WAY to mention how Maddow just TIES BOR. so....which is it? is BOR numbers irrelevant or is Maddow TYING those number somehow relevant to her standing in the tv landscape? u CAN see his hypocrisy, cant u? i hope so :) hope that clears things up lol...

Justice Stevens was always been either moderate or liberal on a lot of issues put before the court. I don't think his ideology changed much over time. He was conservative on some issues and liberal on others. Just because he was nominated by Nixon doesn't mean he was a dyed in a wool conservative. Justice Stevens was a moderate on most issues other than maybe the death penalty before he got on the Supreme Court.
I think Souter would be a better example. He started his tenure on Supreme Court as a true conservative who eventually became a moderate to mostly siding with the left leaning judges on most issues.
Stevens right off the bat was a moderate on most issues. Souter changed over time, but it took several years before he started to become more liberal voting with the conservatives for the most part of his first three years on the bench.

That must have been difficult for you since not only did you lose your Father, but it was because of the stupid chioces of a thoughtless jerk. I know that my religious belief helped me a lot, I missed my Father a lot, but I knew that I'd see him again so that gave me peace. I sincerely hope that you have been/will be able to find some sort of peace in your own way.

It was a very difficult time, and looking back, I could have handled the situation better. My parents had divorced and my mom had re-married, so she wasn't able to be there for me as much as she would have liked. I had other family members and some close friends, but I chose to handle it by myself. I didn't want pity from anyone and tried to be a lone wolf about it. I do believe in God and I do believe I will see him again. That brings some peace to me. And if any atheists or agnostics want to slam me for my personal beliefs, please don't. That isn't necessary. I think it would show a lack of class considering what Pa and myself are discussing.

latest newsroom ep happened in 2011... how long is this show gonna be on the air because theyre breezing thru storylines
is sorkin goin for a balls out 1st (and final?) season, knowing what happened with studio 60? is he gonna start making up stories?
whats gonna be the deal? i want sorkin to provide me with at least 8 hours of entertainment every year until he overdoses on coke

was pretty good tonight, creepy how the insect skitters used the mechanic as trojan horse, also it was col how Tom actually shot the leader, I was wanting that to happen, I also wanted them to shoot the blond girl.

last week it was them doing stories out outlandish right wings claims and what bullshit they were...
then the shooting of the congress woman..
this week, no mention of the bullshit that followed eg lefties blaming palin. lefties claiming it was a tea party shooter.
hell hours after the batman shooting the tea party was being blamed..

Think he is starting to bring in the criticism of the Democrates. What with pointing out that Obama is one of the worse Presidents for gun control and Clinton repelling the law that allowed Investment and Consumer Banks merge.
Question is will he ramp that up or keep it subtle while pointing out the more obvious Tea Party/Right wing take over of the Republician Party.

Stevens' views did change on a lot of issues though you are right in that he wasn't a conservative on the scale of Scalia and Roberts.
I guess that is one reason I like the Newsroom. As an independent who leans left, I haven't voted for a GOP since 2000. I have seen the Republican driven to the right with feckless rhetoric. How much better would the country have been if Jeb had been in the White House instead of W? I think much better, but the GOP powerbrokers chose W. A man who depended on his advisors.

You're ramping up to be a really great show. Poor jamil, i watch him in the pilots or three inches and 17th precinct and thought must suck for that dude not to be a regular in a series that lasts, only for him to become a regular and die.
I'm quite enjoying the culling. it's gotten rid of quite a few of the weaker characters, the brothers have all come up in their own way, especially ben.
Im hoping that the charge to Charleston allows them to pick up some new regular characters. How cool would it be to get someone like Henry Ian Cusick, Lennie James or Carlos Bernard on board.

Wonder if they'll follow that storyline until the real-world conclusion of Gov Walker resoundingly winning his recall election by more than he won his initial contest? I'm in WI and if Jeff Daniels character is going to be an even somewhat believable Republican, he would be in support of Walker's reforms.

This show is pure summer watching junk food! Keeps me entertained ... I mean, it's no Boardwalk Empire or Breaking Bad in terms of quality but damn, it's entertaining ...
As for Falling Skies - I REALLY wish they kill Ben - the kid can't act and he's annoying.
Sup McGootoo, as always - you preach the truth, my boy!
I just started to volunteer for the Obama campaign here in Northern Virginia ... can't wait to make an impact for once (as I have always been a registered Dem in MD).

for all the right reasons. they just can't fathom a moderate Republican who doesn't hate everything about the Democrats. Who isn't sold completely on every talking point put out by their talking heads.
Oh I like Continuum but like the other poster said the story needs to start moving at a faster pace.

what reforms? cutting the pensions and healthcare benefits of state employees and taking away their collective bargaining rights so he can "balance the budget" ? The deficit that was a result of his tax cuts for his supporters like the Koch bros?
is that the Republican platform? Wealth redistribution from the hands of the many to the hands of the few at the top of the pyramid who line his campaign coffers?

Now I absolutely love the movie and felt pretty confident the cartoon series would deliver... and boy has it! I just saw the Jackson 5 episode and literally laughed my ass the whole time. Pretty much made me a huge fan of the show and look forward to future episodes.

prob cuz they added cool stuff from other shows (svu guy being a vampire stannis baratheon), smoke monster from lost, and eric and his sister remind me of aidan from being human
but yea tb, good stuff. less sookie, more better
and when did pam become my fave char?

Will be a nice addition. I'm still hoping to see Lennie James back on Walking Dead some time.
I still think of Jamil as the teacher who gets the crap beat out of him on the Killing.
The Alien/s-ish elements in the episode were a nice touch.

How did those insectish aliens get inside Jamil?
I wonder why this is the first we have seen them. Is it because they have become desperate and knew where the 2nd Mass was?
How many fish head leaders are there?
I really love the show, it has certainly taken a nice jump this season. I just have a few questions thinking I might have missed something.